Hello, i am a new member to this forum and looking to buy a 318is and convert it to an M3. I have found a lot of information about converting a 318ti but none on 318is. I know that there are a lot of problems with the 318ti because of the rear. Anyway, has anyone heard of 318is to M3. Do you think there would be any problems after the conversion and do you think I can do it with a friend (My friend has a shop but I will probably be doing most of the work). I probaly can't spend more than 10k on the 318is or i and the conversion. I found a website that sells a 3.0 S50 engine+all the parts requied for the conversion but they did not say anything about converting it to a ti. The price is 7k for the kit so i need to buy a 318is with high milage or a blown engine or something. They just said that it was possible for an E36.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

I am about to buy a car, i need cheap insurance and so a 318is will look better than an M3 on paper. But i still wanna have some fun with my car.

My goals in life:

1. Get a 318is or 325is.
2. Engine swap it with a 3.0L + mods.
3. Make it look hella sick.
4. Smoke everyone else who goes to my school (Camaros and Chevelles suck)

The front end on a 318i is shorter becuase it is a four banger....I don't think you can put an s50 in there, ask furious...though....for the price you would spend, I bet you could hook up a big turbo in there....

It actually has been done to a 318ti, there is no problem in the front. The engine can fit in the front. With the 318ti though, they had trouble with the suspension and strut bar in the rear cause it is 6 inches shorter than the is.

My goals in life:

1. Get a 318is or 325is.
2. Engine swap it with a 3.0L + mods.
3. Make it look hella sick.
4. Smoke everyone else who goes to my school (Camaros and Chevelles suck)

insurance wont be much cheaper cause you have to insure the $7k you put in for the conversion (well you dont have to, but it would be smart). even if you are ASE certefied, or have some experience working on cars theres a good chance you'll need a mechanic to bail you out of a few tough spots, which wont be cheap and will cause the whole conversion to be put on hold if you spent your last penny on parts. what all is included in the $7k 'kit'? you will also need a full exhaust, and will probably have to put money into the suspension. in the end you wont be saving much by converting a 318 rather than buying a M3 as e36 m3's are getting pretty cheap.

UUC Motorwerks Stage II Lightweight flywheel (8.5lbs) with M5 clutch, less than 5k miles on this setup (stock flywheel included)

Other parts included to facilitate installation:

stock exhaust manifolds

catalytic converters

UUC Motorwerks System.U catback exhaust (stock muffler not available)

M3 differential carrier

M3 3.15 limited slip differential

This engine was dyno tuned at ERT to optimize AFR with the larger injectors. Dyno graphs from this session show more than 230hp at the rear wheels - click here. Since that time, the pulleys have been added, so the actual rear wheel horsepower number is higher than that.

This is a well cared-for, strong motor, with a documented history, dyno graphs, low mileage, and the updated factory retainers. All it needs is a good home.

Complete package - $7500 plus freight

My goals in life:

1. Get a 318is or 325is.
2. Engine swap it with a 3.0L + mods.
3. Make it look hella sick.
4. Smoke everyone else who goes to my school (Camaros and Chevelles suck)